Earl Backs Up Traffic for Holiday Weekend Beach-goers
Traffic backs up on the Bonner Bridge near Nags Head, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 as people return to Hatteras Island following mandatory evacuations of the barrier island for Hurricane Earl. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
As Earl lashed the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts Friday, people were forced to change their travel plans for this holiday weekend.
Many people along the Eastern Seaboard held off until this morning to head to the beaches, as Earl is now speeding away into Atlantic Canada. As a result, highways and interstates across these regions are jammed with traffic today.
While people venturing to the coast of Down East Maine this morning will still encounter some wind-driven rain from Earl, dry weather is in store elsewhere from Boston and Cape Cod to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
People heading to Cape Cod, extreme southeastern New England, southeastern Virginia or the Outer Banks could still encounter minor problems due to the residual effects of Earl today.
Coastal roads and highways through the Outer Banks region and in southeastern Virginia became flooded Thursday night into Friday morning as Earl passed by to the east. Flood waters also forced road closures in extreme southeastern New England and Cape Cod Friday night as Earl passed by to the southeast.
Debris covers the road along the beach in south Nags Head, N.C., Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, after wind and rain from Hurricane Earl passed through overnight. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
AccuWeather.com Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski says that while crews will no doubt be working hard to clear flooded roadways, there could still be issues for travelers with leftover sand and debris.
He adds that people trying to head out to barrier islands that have been affected by the hurricane will be especially susceptible to these types of problems.
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